Climate change is a conversation that cannot be avoided right now, and with good reason. Water shortages in the UK and floods in Italy show that something needs to be done. The UK Government hopes to encourage the public to be climate positive through grants, in order to meet targets set out in the Climate Change Act.
So what does this mean for UK businesses with a fleet of vehicles?
The Workplace Charging Scheme is a government grant that provides financial aid to businesses to enable them to install charging points in the workplace, and can be used in conjunction with the EV Infrastructure Grant.
The latest data from Zap-Map (April 2023), states that across 24,909 charging locations there are 42,566 EV charging points across the UK, a 37% increase from 2022. However, even though the amount of charging points is increasing, it still may not be enough to convince business owners to switch their fleet to electric. Businesses need to be confident that their staff will have enough range in their vehicles so there is no disturbance to operations.
That’s where the Workplace Charging Scheme comes into play.
Eligibility for the Workplace Charging Scheme
The grant is available in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Island, but not in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man, and is available to businesses, charities and public sector organisations that meet the following criteria.
The organisation must fulfil one of the following three criteria:
- Be a public authority as referenced in Local Government Act 2003, Section 33, the Freedom of Information Act, Schedule 1, parts 1-3) and in the Public sector classification guide
- Have received – or have currently pending at the time of application – less than €200,000 of public support in the last 3 financial years
- Have received – or have currently pending at the time of application – less than 325,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) limit of public support in the last 3 financial years
And
- Declare a need for EV charging equipment, or an intent to encourage uptake among their staff and/or fleet
- Have dedicated off-street parking for staff and/or fleet use only
- Have parking facilities that are clearly associated with the applicant premises and be either on-site or at a reasonable distance from the workplace
- Own the property or have consent from the landlord for charge points to be installed at all the sites listed in the application
What Does the Workplace Charging Scheme Cover?
The grant covers partial costs related to the installation of EV charging points.
The grant covers up to 75% of costs (inc VAT) and it is capped at a maximum of:
- £350 per socket
- 40 sockets across all sites per applicant – (i.e. to install them in 40 sites, you will have 1 socket per site)
Test drive an Electric Vehicle today
So if you are a business owner, now you know that there is the structure in place to make charging your electric vehicle fleet less disruptive to your business. But what if you still aren’t convinced that electric vehicles are right for you?
Just Vehicle Solutions have electric vehicles available for 6-12 month short term lease, and daily & weekly hire. Come down to our office in Newark, Nottinghamshire and test drive one of our electric vehicles free of charge and experience the future of motoring for yourself.